Teachers' Resources

Note to teachers: As the AP Music Theory course includes written theory, score study, and aural skills, the course materials for the class should include either a textbook from each category below, or approved instructor-generated materials that substitute for a textbook for each category.

Written Theory: Harmony and Comprehensive Texts
The textbooks below are normally used for college or university first- and second-year core music theory courses. Unless otherwise indicated, the texts include diatonic and chromatic harmony, part-writing, analysis, and some coverage of tonal forms and twentieth-century repertoire. Books in this classification are appropriate for AP Music Theory courses, though any individual book may not cover all topics taught within a specific university's curriculum or those tested in the AP Music Theory Exam.

In that the AP Music Theory curriculum is designed to follow a college curriculum, where students would purchase the newest edition of a current textbook, AP students should be using the newest edition of their textbook if at all possible, and teachers should consider using a textbook that is recent and updated, instead of those whose first edition was many years ago, as pedagogical standards have changed for written theory classes in the last 20 years. Realizing that schools may not be able to replace texts as often as would be optimal, any edition of books listed below meets the curricular requirements for the course if it is published within the last ten years, or if it is the previous edition to the current edition. (If the current edition is the second, then the first edition would be acceptable regardless of publication date; in 2006 any edition published after 1996 would be acceptable.)

Aldwell, Edward, and Carl Schachter. Harmony and Voice Leading, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA:
       Schirmer, 2002.

Benjamin, Thomas, Michael Horvit, and Robert Nelson. Techniques and Materials of Tonal
        Music: From the Common Practice Period to the Twentieth Century, 6th ed. Belmont, CA:
       Thomson-Wadsworth, 2003.

Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Music in Theory and Practice, 7th ed. New York:
       McGraw-Hill, 2003

Clendinning, Jane Piper, and Elizabeth West Marvin. The Musician's Guide to Theory and
       Analysis. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004.

Clough, John, and Joyce Conley. Basic Harmonic Progressions: A Self-Instruction Program,
       1st ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 1984.

Gauldin, Robert. Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music, 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Henry, Earl, and Michael Rogers. Tonality and Design in Music Theory, 1st ed. Vols. 1 & 2.
       Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Kostka, Stefan, and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Laitz, Steven G. The Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Tonal Theory, Analysis, and
       Listening. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Mayfield, Connie. Theory Essentials: An Integrated Approach to Harmony, Ear Training, and
        Keyboard Skills. Vols. 1 & 2. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2003.

Merryman, Marjorie. The Music Theory Handbook, 1st ed. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 1996.

Ottman, Robert W. Elementary Harmony: Theory and Practice, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
        Prentice Hall, 1998.

Ottman, Robert W. Advanced Harmony: Theory and Practice, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
        Prentice Hall, 2000.

Roig-Francoli, Miguel. Harmony in Context. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

Russell, Armand, and Allen Trubitt. The Shaping of Musical Elements, 1st ed. New York:
       Schirmer, 1992.

Spencer, Peter. The Practice of Harmony, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Steinke, Greg A., and Paul O. Harder. Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music: A Programmed
       Course, 9th ed. Parts 1 and 2. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2001.

Straus, Joseph N. Elements of Music, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

Turek, Ralph. The Elements of Music: Concepts and Applications, 2nd ed. Vols. 1 & 2. New
        York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

Anthologies for Music Analysis and Study
The anthologies included here are commonly used for music theory and analysis classes at colleges and universities. For anthologies, any edition of the texts listed below is acceptable as their content is composed of musical scores, which would remain appropriate for classroom use.

Arlin, Mary I. Music Source: A Collection of Excerpts and Complete Movements, 2nd ed.
       Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997.

Benjamin, Thomas E., Michael E. Horvit, and Robert Nelson. Music for Analysis: From the
       Common Practice Period to the Twentieth Century, 5th ed. New York: Oxford University
       Press, 2000.

Briscoe, James. New Historical Anthology of Music by Women, 2nd ed. Bloomington, IN:
       Indiana University Press, 2004.

Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis, 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2003.

Clendinning, Jane Piper, and Elizabeth West Marvin. Anthology to Accompany The Musician's
       Guide to Theory and Analysis. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Kostka, Stefan, and Roger Graybill. Anthology of Music for Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
       Prentice-Hall, 2002.

Melcher, Robert A., Willard F. Warch, and Paul B. Mast. Music for Study, 3rd ed. Englewood
       Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988.

Turek, Ralph. Analytical Anthology of Music, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

Aural Skills: Sight Singing, Ear Training, Keyboard, and Rhythmic Reading Texts
The textbooks included here are used in college and university aural skills programs and are suitable for use in AP Music Theory curricula. Some texts only include specific skills -- for example, rhythm only or sightsinging only -- and would be used in combination with other materials to cover the sight-singing, melodic and harmonic dictation, and contextual listening (listening to music literature) elements of the AP Music Theory exam. For aural skills, any edition of the texts listed below is acceptable.

Benjamin, Thomas E., Michael Horvit, and Robert S. Nelson. Music for Sight Singing, 4th ed.
       Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2004.

Benward, Bruce, and Maureen A.Carr. Sightsinging Complete, 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill,
       1998.

Benward, Bruce, and J. Timothy Kolosick. Ear Training: A Technique for Listening, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Berkowitz, Sol, Gabriel Fontrier, and Leo Kraft. A New Approach to Sightsinging, 4th ed. New
       York: W. W. Norton, 1997.

Brings, Allen, Charles Burkhart, Roger Kamien, Leo Kraft, and Flora Pershing. A New Approach
       to Keyboard Harmony, 1st ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 1979.

Damschroder, David A. Listen and Sing: Lessons in Ear Training and Sight-singing, 1st ed.
       Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 1995.

Dembska, Anna, and Joan Harkness. You've Got Rhythm: Read Music Better By Feeling the
       Beat. Brooklyn, NY: Flying Leap Music, 2002.

Hall, Anne Carothers. Studying Rhythm, 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004.

Kazez, Daniel. Rhythmic Reading: Elementary Through Advanced Training, 2nd ed. New York:
        W. W. Norton, 1997.

Karpinski, Gary, and Richard Kram. Sight Singing and Ear Training: Anthology and Sight
       Singing and Ear Training: Manual with CD ROM. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Kraft, Leo. A New Approach to Ear Training: A Programmed Course in Melodic and Harmonic
       Dictation. 2nd ed. New York: WW Norton, 1999

Krueger, Carol. Progressive Sight Singing, 1st ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Ottman, Robert, and Nancy Rogers. Music for Sightsinging, 7th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
       Prentice Hall, 2007.

Ottman, Robert. Music for Sightsinging, 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004.

Ottman, Robert, and Paul E. Dworak. Basic Ear Training Skills, 1st ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
       Prentice Hall, 1991.

Phillips, Joel, Jane Piper Clendinning, and Elizabeth West Marvin. The Musician's Guide to
       Aural Skills. Vols. 1 & 2. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.

Yasui, Byron K., and Allen R. Trubitt. Basic Sight Singing. 1st ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill,
       1988.